Zhengheornis (lit. 'Zhenghe bird') is an extinct genus of basal avialan known from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian ages) Nanyuan Formation of China.The genus contains a single species, Zhengheornis buyu, known from a partial skeleton with feather traces, preserved on a slab and counterslab.
Discovery and naming The Zhengheornis fossil material was discovered during fieldwork from March to April 2024, in outcrops of the Nanyuan Formation ('layer 6') near Yangyuan Village of Zhenghe County, Fujian Province, China. The specimen is housed in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), where it is permanently accessioned as specimen IVPP V34168. It consists of a partial articulated skeleton with associated feather traces, preserved as a slab and counterslab. Known material includes much of the post-cervical vertebral column, part of the pelvis, and much of the forelimbs and hindlimbs, much of which is preserved as molds. In 2026, Min Wang and colleagues described Zhengheornis buyu as a new genus and species of early avialan dinosaur based on these fossil remains, establishing IVPP V34168 as the holotype specimen. The generic name, Zhengheornis, combines a reference to the discovery of the only known specimen in Zhenghe County, with the Greek word ornis, meaning 'bird'. The specific name, buyu, is a Mandarin word meaning 'unexpected', referencing the distinctive morphology of the pelvis and tail of this species.
Classification
To test the affinities and relationships of Zhengheornis, Wang et al. (2026) included it in an updated version of the phylogenetic matrix of Chen et al. (2025). Zhengheornis was recovered as a member of the Avialae, diverging after Anchiornithidae + Archaeopteryx, but immediately before the coeval Baminornis. These results are displayed in the cladogram below:
Paleoecology Zhengheornis is known from the Nanyuan Formation, which dates to around 150 million years ago, around the border between the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian ages of the late Jurassic period. The outcrops of this formation have been interpreted as representing a primarily swamp-like depositional environment. Most of the vertebrate fossils from the formation represent aquatic and semiaquatic animals, including indeterminate unnamed teleost fish, turtles, and choristoderes. Some avialan dinosaur fossils have also been discovered, including the anchiornithid Fujianvenator, the more derived Baminornis, and some additional indeterminate birds, including a possible ornithuromorph known from a furcula. This lagerstätte is collectively referred to as the Zhenghe Fauna.
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